


What is Built Endures

by Katieee



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, One Shot, Post-Blight, Slice of Life, Warden Alistair
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-04
Updated: 2018-10-04
Packaged: 2019-07-25 05:24:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16190978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katieee/pseuds/Katieee
Summary: Adrianne Amell reflects on life with Alistair at Vigil's Keep, as they discuss honeymoon locations and serious Warden business.





	What is Built Endures

**Author's Note:**

> The second of three prizes from my fic giveaway [over on tumblr](http://agentkatie.tumblr.com) \- for the lovely [occorner](https://occorner.tumblr.com/)!

Life at Vigil’s Keep, once hectic and daunting, had with time settled to a steady thrum of activity, and with it Adrianne had found her place in the world. In the mornings she met with Seneschal Varel to discuss affairs in the Arling; in the afternoons she trained their fledging recruits, both mage and warrior alike. In the evenings they all ate together, laughing by firelight over old adventures she’d once never dared hope she could have.

And through it all, Alistair was by her side.

The time they carved out in the evenings just for them remained Adrianne’s favourite part of the day; whether they talked, or worked, or merely read silently in each other’s company, she was happiest within his embrace. And he was happiest there too; pleas from Eamon for his attendance at court were ignored, Alistair insisting all the while his time was better spent with her, and her heart was too full of affection to convince him otherwise.

“You’re looking very serious, my love,” Adrianne commented one evening, on finding Alistair frowning as he read a letter on their bed.

“I’m a very serious Warden. This is my very serious Warden face.” To prove his point he crossed his eyes and poked his tongue out at her; she laughed, sitting down next to him on their bed, and he immediately circled his arm around her. “It’s from Anora,” he explained as she leaned into his hold, resting her head on his shoulder. “There have been reports of darkspawn along the Storm Coast. She asked if the Wardens can look into it.”

“Asked? Not ordered?” she repeated, surprised; missives from their Queen were infrequent and formal to a fault, with little room for them to decline her calls.

“Well – by ‘ask’, I of course mean ‘emotionally blackmail’. _My dearest Grey Wardens_ ,” he began in a – remarkably accurate – imitation of Anora. “ _There is a matter of dire urgency I require your assistance with. Only you, Senior Warden, so strong and brave and handsome, can save our_ — ow!” he cried out, feigning injury as Adrianne nudged him playfully in the ribs. “Is it _that_ unbelievable she’d call me handsome?”

“Entirely unbelievable.”

“And this from my own beloved wife. What did I ever do to deserve such cruelty?”

Adrianne laughed, shaking her head. “Nothing. You’re perfect and I’m terrible.” His arm tightened around her, as though to reassure her that wasn’t the case – and though they’d been together so long she didn’t need it she still relaxed further into his hold. “But of course we can send people to help. Nathaniel and Oghren can take some of the newer recruits; it’ll be good for training.”

“Ah, actually – by Wardens she means us, specifically. You and me.”

“Oh,” Adrianne said, separating from him slightly to peer up at him; that serious expression had returned as he scanned his letter once more, but it softened with a gentle kiss pressed to his jaw. “Why?”

“She already sent some of the Royal Guard, and they all turned up dead. She thinks it’s a job only the _Heroes of Ferelden_ can manage.” He shrugged, eyes twinkling with humour as he met Adrianne’s gaze. “Or maybe she wants us dead, too. Who knows?”

“I’m sure she doesn’t want us dead.”

“Well – maybe not _you_. You didn’t kill her father.” He hummed thoughtfully. “It’s strange though, isn’t it? Darkspawn showing up again out of nowhere?”

“There’s old dwarven ruins all along the Storm Coast,” she mused. “I remember reading about them in the Circle. They were sealed in the Divine Age, but that was a long time ago – it’s not surprising that darkspawn would eventually break through.”

“See – that’s why I love you,” he grinned, placing the letter to one side and curling both arms around her as he pulled her to face him fully – and even now, after all they’d shared together, the tenderness of his easy touch still made her heart flutter. “I can always count on you to know more than me.”

That wasn’t true at all – there were plenty of things he had far more expertise in – but he cut off her protest before it had even properly formed as he brushed his lips against hers. She chuckled, arms encircling his broad shoulders as she kissed him back, revelling in the way his strong arms held her tight against his chest, and it was moments like this when she knew she truly, _finally_ had a home – when she was laughing, in the arms of the man she loved.

“So,” she said as she eventually pulled back, smiling at Alistair’s low whine and pouted lip when she did. “Another adventure into the Deep Roads, then?”

He pulled a face, no doubt grimacing at the same memories currently in the forefront of Adrianne’s mind. “I’ve had enough of the Deep Roads to last me a lifetime,” he grumbled. “But it _is_ worth investigating. Besides, a trip together will be fun – and I do still owe you a honeymoon.”

“I thought we were going to Antiva,” she pointed out.

“Who needs Antiva when you have beautiful, soggy Fereldan countryside just down the road?” She shot him the most reproachful look she could muster, but he merely laughed, placing a kiss to the frown-lines between her eyebrows. “Come on, Adrian. All there is in Antiva is sun and sand and food marginally more edible than our grey mulch. I bet we can find you some great old scrolls in those ruins.”

It was a completely transparent attempt to persuade her, and it was laughable how well it worked; she rolled her eyes even as her heart quickened at the thought of the undiscovered tomes waiting for her. “Of course we should go,” she told him, and the beautiful, crooked smile he gave in response almost broke the entirety of her resolve. “But I still want to go to Antiva afterwards.”

“So demanding,” Alistair said with a dramatic sigh. “I’ll see what I can do. Now, let’s get some rest,” he told her – kissing her again, briefly, before flopping backwards onto their bed, carelessly throwing Anora’s letter to one side as he snuffed out the candle on their dresser. She undressed quickly, and when she slid under the covers next to him he curled one arm around her once more, his warm embrace and the steady beat of his heart the two most soothing things in all of Thedas to her. “I guess we should make the most of sleeping under a roof whilst we still have the luxury.”


End file.
